Resilience Isn’t a Buzzword: Real-World + Research-Backed Tactics for Building Stronger Teams

Track: General

Main Auditorium

12:40 PM

Resilience isn’t just a personal trait — it’s a critical capability for any team. Drawing on over two decades of managing development teams and doctoral research in technical team resilience, I’ll explore how organizations can build stronger, more adaptable engineering teams that thrive under pressure, recover from setbacks, and continue innovating.
This talk will offer an unfiltered look into real-world team dynamics — from startups to Fortune 500s — along with frameworks that tie into DevFestMN’s themes of innovation, inspiration, and connection. I’ll share examples of how hiring, training, and team culture can be reimagined to cultivate resilience as a team superpower, not just a soft skill.
To bring these lessons to life, I’ll draw parallels from my personal endurance journey — including 60+ marathons, Ironman triathlons, and 100-mile ultramarathons — showing how training for long distances teaches many of the same lessons needed to build high-performance, resilient teams in tech.
Attendees will leave with specific techniques they can apply on Monday — whether they manage teams or contribute to one — to reduce burnout, improve retention, and create healthier, more capable teams.
This talk is interactive, energetic, and spiced with war stories from working in newspapers during 9-11, disputed elections, and bankruptcies. Ideal for team leads, senior devs, engineering managers, and anyone interested in building resilient teams.